Uncertianty wiht carbon 14 dating

The theoretical limit of the usefulness of Carbon-14 dating would only be 50,000 years.This would be the amount of time it would take for nine half-lives, and after that there would not be enough left to measure accurately.As the magnetic field decreases, more cosmic radiation penetrates the earths atmosphere and this causes a slow long-term increase in Carbon-14 production.These factors combine to cause fluctuations in the Carbon-12/Carbon-14 ratios found in plant, animal and human materials.There is then a ratio of Carbon-14 to Carbon-12 in the bodies of plants, animals and humans which could be considered as fixed at the time of death.After death, the Carbon-14 would decay and the ratio of the two isotopes would change.

Laboratory research has shown that the radioactive decay of Carbon-14 occurs in a half-life of 5,73040 years through beta decay that causes the Carbon-14 to revert back to Nitrogen-14.Besides the aforementioned items, the amount of cosmic radiation in the past, and in particular the amount reaching the atmosphere, may have been dramatically different.If one were to believe the Bible, the earth was surrounded by a layer of water vapor between Creation and the Flood.If this water vapor did exist in the past, then it would have effectively shielded the atmosphere from much of the cosmic radiation.This shielding would have drastically reduced the amount of Carbon-14 produced.They all start with similar flaws, but Carbon-14 has more than the rest.The Carbon-14 dating method was introduced by Dr. Libby (1908-1980) at the University of Chicago in 1949. Carbon-12 is the normal stable isotope of Carbon (99% of all Carbon), which is the basic building block of organic life forms.Carbon-14 decays to a zero amount in 250,000 supposed years after its production.It is incapable of yielding dates in the millions of years.The process would continue, halving the amount left every 5,730 years until, theoretically, nothing remained of the original pound.(approximately 78% of atmospheric gases) by thermal neutrons which come from the powerful cosmic radiation, primarily generated by the sun.